China / USSR: Pacific Fleet marines of the Soviet Navy hoisting the Soviet naval ensign in Dalian (Port Arthur), on October 1, 1945. Photo by Haldei/RIA Novosti (CC BY-SA 3.0 License)

The Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation began on 9 August 1945 with the Soviet invasion of the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo. It was the last campaign of the Second World War, and the largest of the 1945 Soviet–Japanese War which resumed hostilities between the Soviet Union and the Empire of Japan after almost six years of peace.

Temporary Soviet gains on the continent were Manchukuo, Inner Mongolia and northern Korea. The Soviet entry into the war and the defeat of the Kwantung Army was a significant factor in the Japanese government's decision to surrender.

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Haldei/RIA Novosti (CC BY-SA 3.0

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